Poverty is one of the challenges that the US appears unable to fully eradicate. Despite efforts by successive governments, millions of Americans continue to wallow in poverty. The failure of government efforts can be attributed to the lack of a proper understanding of the dynamics of poverty. An exploration of poverty reveals that it is composed of multiple dimensions and components that must be understood fully if the poverty-eradication efforts are to yield the desired outcomes. Kay Ann Taylor (2009) is among the scholars whose thoughts on poverty are illuminating. In one of her works, Taylor identifies capitalism and racism as integral components of poverty. It is only when these factors are considered that poverty can be eliminated.
The Dimensions of Poverty
In Poverty’s Multiple Dimensions, Taylor offers an intriguing and enlightening examination of the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. She observes that poverty should be viewed from a historical and multi-dimensional standpoint. When regarding poverty historically, one needs to consider the history of race relations and dynamics in the United States. According to Taylor, in order to accumulate wealth in the US, one needs to be male and white (Taylor, 2009). Being a member of the white community offers individuals privileges that those from other racial communities are denied. Taylor also adds that individuals are endowed with varying amounts of resources and privileges and those who lack adequate resources are bound to be poor (Taylor, 2009). Another issue concerning race that Taylor addresses is that there have been institutionalized and government-sanction efforts to limit the rise of the poor. To buttress this argument, Taylor describes how capitalism contributes to poverty. She contends that poverty is a necessary requirement that capitalist societies need to thrive (Taylor, 2009). Essentially, Taylor suggests that racism colludes with capitalism to further entrench poverty in American society.
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As noted earlier, Taylor is convinced that poverty should be viewed through a multi-dimensional lens. In addition to racism and capitalism, she also identifies science as a key force that allows poverty to become a permanent feature of American society. She observes that Darwinist thoughts have been adopted in understanding the roots of poverty. According to Darwin, some races such as the African American suffer biological inferiorities (Taylor, 2009). This inaccurate and misguided belief has been used to justify the unfair policies and efforts to divide people on the basis of racial background. Taylor allows readers to recognize that poverty is indeed a complex question and that a full understanding can only be gained through a critical examination of the various factors that underlie poverty.
Implications for Classroom and Teaching
Taylor’s perspectives underscore the role that education can play in tackling poverty. In her text, Taylor challenges educators and institutions to play a leading role in poverty-eradication initiatives. The main implication for the classroom and teaching is that educational institutions have a mandate to help tackle poverty. Taylor advises that educators should prioritize the teaching of social justice concepts. She notes that social transformation can only be achieved when educators are heavily involved in changing the minds of learners regarding the true root causes of poverty (Taylor, 2009). It is indeed true that schools can participate in helping learners to understand where poverty stems from. By highlighting the interactions between racism and capitalism, educators can manage to open the minds of their learners. Furthermore, the educators can challenge learners to reject the inaccurate and racist Darwinian perspectives and adopt a new approach which recognizes that poverty is the result of historical injustices which have to be addressed for poverty-elimination campaigns to be successful. Apart from race and capitalism, Taylor also notes that feminist perspectives allows for a fuller understanding of the roots of poverty. She makes it clear that historically women have been regarded as property and there have been deliberate efforts to limit the advancement of women (Taylor, 2009). By discussing the history and struggles of women, Taylor essentially shows that poverty is indeed multi-dimensional and that it is rooted in social injustice. If schools truly wish to eliminate poverty, they should feed students the truth and make it clear that greed and injustice are the ingredients that have yielded poverty. Furthermore, the schools have a responsibility to ensure equal access especially to those groups that have historically suffered hardships in their quest for education. The elimination of poverty requires the education of the poor.
Comparison
Taylor is not the only scholar who has examined the dynamics of poverty. Her main contention is that racism and capitalism are the primary causes of poverty. Her argument finds support from other scholars. For example, Koepke (2007) penned an article in which he examined the relationship between race, class, capitalism and poverty. According to Koepke, the American society is heavily stratified with gender and race determining one’s class. Racial minorities and women tend to occupy lower classes. One’s social class defines access to resources and opportunities (Koepke, 2007). Given their limited access to resources, racial minorities and women are more likely to be poor compared to white males who have access to resources and privileges. Fuchs (2017) is yet another scholar who agrees that poverty is underpinned by racism and capitalism. He examined how these factors combine to create injustices and inequalities in the digital world. The fact that other scholars echo Taylor’s perspective lends credibility and weight to her arguments. Poverty is indeed caused by racist policies and attitudes that thrive in capitalist societies.
In conclusion, the efforts by the US government to eradicate poverty are indeed commendable. However, for these efforts to have an impact, they need to account for the multiple dimensions of poverty. As Taylor makes clear, racism and capitalism are some of the main dimensions that constitute poverty. She argues that the US has a history of racist policies and that its capitalist economic model thrives on social injustice. There is no doubt that the entire American society needs to be united in the war on poverty. Schools should be in the forefront of this war.
References
Fuchs, C. (2017). Capitalism, patriarchy, slavery, and racism in the age of digital capitalism and digital labour. Critical Sociology, 44 (4-5), 677-702.
Koepke, D. J. (2008). Race, class, poverty and capitalism. Race, Gender and Class, 14 (3-4), 189-205.
Taylor, K. A. (2009). Poverty’s multiple dimensions. Journal of Educational Controversy, 4 (1), 1-20.
